REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Chairman of the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) Din Syamsuddin challenged extremists to hold talk with Islamic religious leaders and explain their ideology. He considers that extremists do not only post a threat to religion, but also to entire civilization.

"We challange them to discuss on ideology. We can defeat them with logic argumentation," Syamsuddin said on Wednesday, December 17. He said that confronting them was only wasting energy. "We need a comprehensive step," he said.

Nevertheless, Syamsuddin agreed that holding peace talk would not be an easy way to stem extremism. He mentioned that there were at least three matters could challenge the peace talks. They are the unfair global system that makes a big gap between the elites and the poor, double standard policy that makes international political institution lose the ability to guard peace, and a deceit to discredit other parties that closes a room to talk.

"It will be wise to see this as a joint task. It is impossible to reach perpetual peace, but we have to keep trying," he said.

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